Removal of injured athletes from playing fields presents specialized problems that are not met by the known carrying devices heretofore used for the purpose.
It has been the practice in the past to utilize a stretcher or a gurney or, in some extreme cases, to drive an ambulance vehicle onto the playing field. The injured player is then carried off the field in a prone position.
The use of such equipment tends to have a very traumatizing effect on the injured player, on spectators which may include an extensive television audience, and on the other players. It has been observed that such occurences can cause other players to become over cautious which can in turn lead to further injuries.
Players in general exhibit a strong aversion to being carried from the playing field in a prone position in such equipment. One unfortunate result has been that players may be insistant on walking from the field at times when that is very inadvisable from the medical standpoint. Many commom types of injury can be aggravated by walking or attempts to walk prior to medical diagnosis and treatment. In many sports, of which football and soccer are examples, leg injuries are a common occurence.
The form and severity of athletic injuries varies greatly. It is of course essential in some cases that equipment of the above described kind be used to remove an injured player not-withstanding the adverse effects on the player and on others that are described above. Owing to the lack of a suitable alternative, it has been the practice in the past to use such equipment in other cases where an injured player cannot or should not walk from the playing field.
The adverse effects of removing an injured athlete from the field in a prone position are greatly alleviated if the athlete is carried in a sitting position. Carrier apparatus for this purpose should enable seating and unloading of the athlete without requiring walking by the injured person and should minimize other physical effort by the injured person. Physical effort by the persons who operate the apparatus should also by minimized to the extent that is possible. The apparatus should be capable of inhibiting aggravation of an injury or suspected injury during the carrying operation. The carrier should also be light in weight and preferably compactible to facilitate the transporting and storage of the device.
A carrier device which meets some of the above described criteria and which is adaptable to carrying athletes with some kinds of injuries in a sitting position is described in my said copending U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 750,993, filed July 2, 1985, and entitled EVACUATION CHAIR, of which the present application is a continuation-in-part.
The carrier device of my above identified copending application includes a chair and spaced apart carrier arms that extend forward and backward from the sides of the chair, the structure being foldable into a more compact configuration when it is not in use. The device was originally designed for the purpose of carrying handicapped persons down the staircases of high rise buildings during a fire or other emergency and is not ideally suited for the differing purpose of removing injured athletes from a playing field. Seating of the handicapped person requires significant exertion and manuvering either by that person or on the part of the operators of the device. The seated person then assumes a normal sitting position, with bent knees and unsupported lower legs, that may not be compatible with many common forms of athletic injury.
The trauma associated with removing a player from a field in a prone position on a stretcher or the like can be greatly relieved with a transporting device which enables the player to travel in a sitting position and which also meets the specialized requirements of such operations which have been set forth above.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems discussed above.